Aug 22,2007 00:00 by
UPI LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles city attorney's office has ruled that a restraining order allegedly violated by a self-proclaimed pedophile was defective.

Jack McClellan was released from custody Tuesday after charges of violating the restraining order were dropped, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

Two Santa Clarita, Calif., attorneys had pushed for the restraining order to keep McClellan away from children. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Melvin Sandvig barred McClellan on Aug. 3 from coming within 10 yards of any child in California.

He was arrested by University of California, Los Angeles, police near a campus child care facility.

Nick Velasquez, spokesman for the city attorney, said the order was found to be unlawful because it was issued for three years without a required additional hearing. He said McClellan was not informed that the initial 22-day order had been extended by the judge.

"He violated the order, but the court was procedurally defective, so we had to dismiss the case," Velasquez said.

McClellan has talked openly about his sexual attraction to young girls but he has never been convicted of child molestation.